Declaration by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on the abolition of the death penalty in Maryland, USA

The European Union warmly welcomes today’s signing by Governor Martin O'Malley of the legislation abolishing the death penalty in the State of Maryland.

The European Union congratulates the Governor, the Senate and the House of Delegates on this historic decision, making Maryland the 18th State in the United States to abandon capital punishment.

The European Union strongly hopes that this decision will encourage other US States to follow suit in joining the growing national and worldwide movement towards the abolition of the use of capital punishment.”

The Acceding Country Croatia, the Candidate Countries Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Icelandand Serbia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, align themselves with this declaration.